Eatery stocks menu with seasonal faves

November 13, 2016

Story By: Yu Shing Ting |

Duck Omelet Rice ($35) PHOTO COURTESY OF CAFE LANI

From the artful interior design to the beautifully presented food displays in the window and the enticing smell of freshly baked bread lingering through the air, it’s hard to walk by Cafe Lani Hawaii at Ala Moana Center without wanting to go in. Then there’s the food — exquisite culinary masterpieces that are fresh, tasty and visually pleasing.

The restaurant, which opened in January, offers a contemporary Italian-inspired menu mixed with Japanese and American influences. Among the most popular dishes are its pizzas, which are all made from scratch, Fedelini with Porcini Cream Sauce pasta and Lani-style Paella. The parfaits also are a must for dessert, and the all-you-can-eat, fresh-from-the-oven breads and pastries are irresistible.

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In response to constant requests from customers, marketing and sales manager Keiko Sugai reveals that the eatery plans to start selling the bread, which is currently only available when you dine-in, as well as Cafe Lani logo items, in the near future.

Turkey Pizza Set ($25) YU SHING TING PHOTO

The restaurant is owned and operated by Japan-based company Pierthirty USA, which has more than 200 restaurants in Japan, plus Gokoku Sushi and Tempura Ichidai in Hawaii.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there also are seasonal menus introduced every few months, and special holiday dishes for Thanskgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and more.

Duck Omelet Rice, which is served in a skillet, features butter rice surrounded by an egg omelet and topped with roasted vegetables, duck leg cooked confit-style, gravy and Gorgonzola sauce. It also comes with a mini salad, soup (French onion or clam chowder) and a pumpkin danish.